Len Wiseman is set to direct Universal's upcoming reboot of The Mummy.

The Total Recall director will helm the new film for a summer 2014 release. The script will be written by Prometheus screenwriter Jon Spaihts, and produced by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Star Trek).

Wiseman discussed his new take on the character with Deadline: "When I first heard Universal was relaunching this, that is the image that popped into my head, the period tale, the old monster, but when Bob and Alex pitched it, there was a great new take and approach, and a very different mummy as well."

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He added: "It's a darker twist on the material, a scarier version. One of the things that interested me with this mummy is, he's still in essence a man.

"They haven't turned his brain into a monster brain. He still has a personality and is very cunning and calculating. He's a true character in any form, and in creature form, even if he is that staggering creature, it becomes more important that he's a thinking, calculating person."

Producer Kurtzman also claimed that the new film will blend action and horror with more grounded elements: "A lot of recent movies have proven audiences are hungry for more than they used to be. You can still have a family movie, an action movie that's more grounded than these used to be.

"Without saying too much, we've drawn a lot of inspiration from Michael Crichton's books, and how he grounded fantastical tales in modern-day science."